AQUARIUM SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD
The Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) Aquarium set an all-time record for attendance this summer on Wednesday, Aug. 22 when the 6,000th guests entered the front door of its 28 Washington Street facility. MMAAquarium Director Rachel Dacks and Aquarium intern staff members Morgan Ross, Jennifer Moorehead and Susan Boehm were on hand to greet the record-breaking guests and award them free admission for their visit.

From left: Cameron Quinn (6), Annabel Dannheim (7), Conner Quinn (5) and Samantha Dannheim (4) were honored as the 6,000th guests at the Maria Mitchell Association Aquarium this summer.

The 6,000th guest group was comprised of four children (see photo above). They were accompanied by Cameron and Conner's mother Sandy Quinn, Annabel and Samantha's mother Lori Dannheim and Jean Quinn, the grandmother of all four children. According to Annabel and Samantha's mother, Lori Dannheim, they have enjoyed regular visits to the Aquarium during their stays on Nantucket over the past four years.

Though the Aquarium has been a popular Nantucket attraction for families since it opened in 2002, this has been the first year that attendance has broken the 6,000 mark, according to Dr. Bob Kennedy, MMA Director of Natural Science who oversees the Aquarium and the Natural Science Museum, which has also seen an increase in attendance this year over prior seasons. Dr. Kennedy said that he expects the total attendance at the Aquarium to top 7,000 before the season ends on Saturday, September 8. The Aquarium and the Natural Science Museum opened for the season this year on Tuesday, June 12.

Visitors to the aquarium, once a railroad station ticket office for the Nantucket Railroad, have the opportunity to learn about Nantucket's marine ecology through first-hand experience with many of the organisms that inhabit our coastal areas. The facility contains 20 saltwater tanks in three buildings, an orientation area for dry exhibits and small-group instruction and two large "touch tanks" for curious hands.